Chapter 135
The dungeon is being consumed by a massive influx of water.
Adventurers who had ventured into the lower floors, the golems that guarded the place, and even the treasure chests that were set up – all are swallowed up. The muddy torrent, created by the Celestial Dragon, is eroding the dungeon.
Adventurers scream as they are consumed by the raging waters.
One by one, they drown, pulled under by the flood.
Some try to help, but are themselves pulled in.
Pain, struggle, and screams echo everywhere.
The scene can only be described as a living depiction of hell.
And the damage isn’t limited to the lower floors.
Adventurers in the upper floors soon notice.
「Th-This is bad! Water is flooding in from somewhere!」「What’s happening?!」「Hey, let’s get out of here, now!」「What happened to those who were in the lower floors?!」「We need to evacuate, quickly!」「You idiot, you can’t just leave them!」「If you don’t move, you’re going to die too!」
The sudden disaster incites panic. Adventurers begin to scramble for safety, pushing past each other.
This wave of chaos spreads like a pandemic within the dungeon, reaching the merchants and guards stationed at the entrance.
「Water is coming! Run before you get caught up in it!」「Why is there water?!」「Leave your goods behind! Your life is more important!」「Hurry up and give me my money! It’s going to flood!」「Move! I’m getting out first!」
Everyone’s racing to escape.
Some are shoved and fall, while others push past anyone in their path. In this dire situation, true human nature is laid bare.
Yet, amidst the chaos, a lone boy stands, staring at the water, seemingly lost in thought. He’s about seven, with blond hair and round eyes.
One of the adventurers notices the boy and shouts,
「Hey, kid! What are you doing? You’ll die! Hey!」
「…………」
The boy doesn’t answer.
He doesn’t even turn around, just keeps watching the water.
「Hey, boy!」
「Stop it! You’ll get caught up too!」
「Hey! Damn it, kid, run! Can you hear me? Run!」
「…………」
The concerned adventurer, fearing for his own life, keeps his distance while continuing to shout, then eventually flees.
The boy ignores him—or perhaps never heard him to begin with—and remains fixated on the flowing water.
It’s as if he’s certain the water won’t harm him.
With warm eyes, as if looking at a family member or something precious, the boy watches the floodwaters consuming the dungeon.
Deep within the dungeon, in Elibel’s laboratory―――
『―――Emergency alert. Emergency alert. A threat requiring caution has entered the dungeon. I repeat, a threat requiring caution has entered the dungeon. Switching to magic analysis.』
Upon hearing that alert from Gijie, the flame in Elibel’s eye sockets flickers slightly.
She swiftly manipulates a brilliantly colored sphere at her fingertips, projecting the dungeon’s interior onto a monitor.
「…What the heck is this?」
She’s taken aback by the sight.
Displayed on the screen is the top floor of the dungeon, being inundated by vast amounts of water.
Adventurers are swept away by the flood, treasure chests and golems destroyed.
The ruined golems and chests crash into the walls, dissipating back into the dungeon.
―――Where on earth is all this water coming from?
Flooding.
It’s a classic dungeon-clearing method, and an incredibly problematic tactic.
If the dungeon doesn’t have a drainage system, it’s game over.
Even with one, the damage to the dungeon is immense.
It’s rarely used by adventurers because it tends to involve many while offering limited benefits.
Elibel scratches her stark white skull.
But she soon appears serious, though it’s hard to tell with a skeleton if she’s really stern.
「Who’s the idiot… doing such an ignorant thing?」
One might question her talking about common sense, but let’s put that aside for now.
Elibel starts to operate the monitor, searching for the source of the water.
「The origin is on the third floor from the top… Berg.」
「Yes, ma’am?」
When Elibel calls his name, Berg, who had been waiting at her side, responds.
「I need visuals of the entire third floor. And contact everyone. I’ll get in touch with Una and the others. Gijie, activate the teleportation gates and start draining the water. And recall all the golems from the top floor.」
「Understood.」
『―――Acknowledged.』
Immediately, Gijie starts constructing a spell to deploy teleportation gates throughout the top floor of the dungeon.
「Seriously, I don’t know who this fool is, but did they really think I wouldn’t have prepared for such an old-school tactic like flooding?」
Though initially surprised, Elibel remains relatively calm.
Flood tactics typically involve a magic circle connecting a water source to the dungeon.
Eliminate the magic circle or kill the mage maintaining it, and the problem is solved.
Regardless of how skilled a mage or creature might be, summoning this much water requires vast amounts of magic.
With Gijie’s magical sensing, they can easily locate the source.
Unless it involves a vast number of people constructing the spell or someone with absurd amounts of magic like Earth, the magic should run out quickly.
Draining the water afterward will be a chore, but with the teleportation magic circles, it won’t take long.
It’s a pity for the adventurers inside the dungeon and the merchants near the entrance, but it can’t be helped.
The best they can hope for is to take out their frustration on the culprit.
But as Elibel was displaying confidence, her expression stiffens upon seeing the scene Berg displays from the third floor.
Seeing “that” reflected in several monitors.
「This is…」
「A sphere of water.」
Berg murmurs.
Displayed is a water sphere about one meter in diameter, spewing out a vast quantity of water.
Even through the screen, it’s evident this water sphere holds an immense concentration of magical power.
Elibel’s bones rattle.
「What is this… Gijie, cross-check.」
『―――Understood―――Answer: There’s a matching magical reaction. It’s likely the same creature, named ‘Celestial Dragon,’ that you previously encountered in the Yuguru Great Forest.』
「What did you just say?!」
Berg shouts in astonishment.
The flames in Elibel’s eye sockets flare up upon hearing Gijie’s answer.
Celestial Dragon.
An entity of the same caliber as Earth’s Earth Dragon or Elja’s Holy Dragon.
「Celestial Dragon… huh… Wow…」
「Impossible… Why would a Celestial Dragon be in this dungeon…? Miss Elibel, what should we do?」
Berg looks to Elibel for instructions.
Having a Dragon King species appear two days in a row is beyond an emergency.
But Elibel seems lost in thought, muttering to herself.
「A Dragon King species again so soon…? A coincidence? Or Jibru’s doing? No, that doesn’t add up. It’s been a long time since we met in the forest… What could it mean? Could it be related to what that damn witch mentioned?―――」
「Miss Elibel! Please, snap out of it!」
「―――Huh?! Oh, I’m sorry, Berg. I was just lost in thought.」
Elibel immediately operates her terminal, brainstorming countermeasures in her head.
Moreover, she contacts everyone, urging them to gather at the research facility right away.
The thought transmission connects immediately, and Ann and the others assure her they’ll be there in no time.
「First off, we need to drain the water… Gijie, how long will it take to set up the teleportation gates?」
『―――Response. Emergency teleportation have already been completed in various locations. However, the water isn’t flowing.』
「…What?」
Caught off guard, Elibel blurts out in disbelief.
The water isn’t flowing?
She looks at the monitor.
There are emergency teleportation gates set up all over the outer dungeon for drainage.
Yet, the water seems to be flowing around them, as if avoiding them.
Gijie quickly constructs additional teleportation gates on walls and the ground, but the water flows around them as if it has a mind of its own, avoiding the newly set up gates.
「It’s as if the water has a mind of its own…」
Berg murmurs in awe.
「That’s probably right… That’s what it seems like. That water isn’t just water. It’s likely a “part” of the Celestial Dragon.」
「What!? Really?」
『―――Response. Magical power identical to the Celestial Dragon has been detected from the “water orb” and the water flowing within the dungeon.』
Berg expresses his shock, while Gijie confirms it.
Just as the Earth Dragon governs “earth” and the Holy Dragon oversees “fire”, the Celestial Dragon has its own domain.
And that domain is “water”.
This means the water is either entirely under the control of the Celestial Dragon or is a part of its physical body.
「If that’s the case, destroying the “water orb” in the third floor won’t stop this water… I’d never place the “core” in such an obvious location. Even if we destroy it, we should expect another orb to appear elsewhere… And we should assume that the Celestial Dragon’s main body has merged with this water.」
Elibel scratches her head.
The surface dungeon mechanisms aren’t enough to drain—or rather, to eliminate—the Celestial Dragon.
Elibel looks towards Gijie.
「…Gijie, how long it’ll take for him to reach the middle layer dungeon?」
『―――Response. He’ll reach the teleportation gate to the middle layer dungeon approximately one hour.』
One hour.
That’s ample time to prepare for combat in the middle layer.
Wee could simply seal off the teleportation gate leading from the surface dungeon to the middle layer dungeon, but it’s not that simple.
Some of the gates used for entry and movement also play a role in the dungeon’s magical energy circulation.
Forcing a seal might damage the dungeon itself.
That could affect the longevity spell on Fáfnir.
So, without the ability to drain or seal the gates, we have no choice but to confront the issue in the middle layer.
「Right… For now, evacuate the others from the middle layer. And unlock all traps and floor operations. We’ll buy time for analysis.」
『―――Acknowledged.』
We only have two pieces of information on the Celestial Dragon: the water flowing through the dungeon and an event in the Yuguru Great Forest.
Although its goal is unclear, the dragon seems hell-bent on conquering this dungeon.
The opponent is a Dragon King species.
It probably won’t be as straightforward as when we faced the Holy Dragon Elja.
Furthermore, the foe can merge with water and move fluidly.
Analyzing its magical energy will likely be exceedingly difficult.
However,
「Fufu…. FUFUFU…」
Elibel chuckles, her bones rattling with excitement.
「You seem to be enjoying yourself, Miss Elibel.」
「Yes, of course. Such an exquisite irregularity… How could I not find it thrilling? Fufufu」
Indeed.
The greater the challenge, the deeper and more extensively she can think.
For Elibel, pondering and problem-solving is the finest form of intoxication.
Is there any greater pleasure? No, there isn’t.
Well, except maybe for sweets.
「I don’t know what the other side is plotting, but I intend to enjoy this, Dragon King.」
Had Elibel still had her flesh, she would’ve sported an intense grin.
Instead, the flames in her eye sockets flicker wildly, and her bones produce an eerie clattering sound—a sight that even gives Berg a chill.
Elibel might not know, but in wanting to “enjoy” the situation, her and the Celestial Dragon’s desires align perfectly.
「Now then, first thing’s first— Oh, wait, where did that idiot go?」
「If you’re referring to Earth, he’s probably in the depths.」
Berg voices a prediction, but Elibel shakes her head in disagreement.
In fact, the fact that Berg immediately thinks of Earth as “that idiot” is pretty harsh in itself.
「If that was the case, there should have been a response during our thought transmission just now. If there wasn’t, it means he might be in the Great Underground Forest, or maybe… Oh no.」
「…You don’t mean…」
Elibel gets stuck on her words.
Berg too quickly grasps the potential situation.
「…Gijie, do you think Earth might be in the dungeon right now?」
In response to Elibel’s question, Gijie, who typically answers fluidly, now hesitates a bit.
『—…Yes. The master is currently… in the middle layers dungeon.』
「…………」
「…………」
Both Elibel and Berg fall silent.
Gijie feels awkward.
Being an AI, it doesn’t truly have feelings, but still, the atmosphere is palpable.
『……….Yes, the m-master is currently―――』
「What the hell is that idiot doing!? Gijie, immediately pinpoint his location! And stop all traps and environmental controls in that area! Quick!」
『―――Y-yes.』
「That idiot! He’s always hiding in the depths. Why on earth is he in the middle layers now!? Such recklessness is just…!」
「M-Miss Elibel, please calm down!」
Elibel’s shout echoes throughout the room.
In her irritation, she bangs the table twice.
Hey, it’s not the table’s fault.
But really, nobody – not Elibel, Gijie, or even the gods – could have foreseen the reclusive dragon venturing into the middle layers dungeon, especially now.
The thing is, unlike other creatures and monsters of the forest, Earth cannot be transported through the emergency teleportation gates they have.
It’s because of his massive magical power.
The same goes for Elja, another Dragon King. This is also why it takes time to set up a portal to the Holy Land.
Simply put, he needs to find the closest teleportation gate.
Seriously, Earth’s timing is the worst.
By the way, Elibel is, after all, just an adviser and confidante to Earth, not a command tower or the dungeon master.
Yet, the way she gives orders left and right, she seems like a middle manager being bossed around by some idiotic company president.
A few moments later, Earth is easily located.
When they open the communication line, he’s casually chatting with Tsumugi in a room they’re remodeling.
Honestly, it’s a bit annoying.
Elibel, a tad angrily, instructs Earth to evacuate and head to the depths through a nearby teleportation gates.
Earth starts moving with Tsumugi.
Hurry it up!
What’s with the lack of urgency? Elibel can’t help but feel internally frustrated.
Now that Earth has left the middle floors, defensive preparations can finally resume.
About an hour later…
『―――Report. The target has reached the Floor 20 of the surface dungeon teleportation gate, and has begun moving to the middle layer.』
Gijie reports.
And then…
「Miss Elibel, Ann reports that the defenses in the middle layers are ready. We can proceed whenever.」
Berg also brings in the update.
Everything is set.
Now that we’ve moved that idiot (Earth) to the depths, the serious atmosphere has returned.
The tense vibe – this is it.
Whenever that idiot gets involved, things get lax.
「Well, despite the minor hiccup, we’re ready now. Bring it on, Celestial Dragon!」
And so, the dungeon defense against the Celestial Dragon begins.
But what neither Elibel nor even Gijie noticed…
Around the time the Celestial Dragon reached the middle layers, another dragon of the dragon king species had also entered the dungeon…
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